Students participating in Universitas Gadjah Mada’s Community Service Program-Community Empowerment Learning (KKN-PPM UGM) through the Mapai Pangandaran Unit have launched a community empowerment program in Batukaras Village, Cijulang District, Pangandaran Regency, West Java, to help micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) strengthen their digital presence by optimizing Google Maps. The program aims to improve the community’s capacity to use Google Maps as a digital marketing platform that can increase the visibility of local businesses.
Renata Satriatama Ranukumbolo, a KKN-PPM student from the Mathematics Study Program at FMIPA UGM, said the program targeted members of the Batukaras Village Family Welfare Movement (PKK), who serve as community volunteers and can share the training with MSME owners in their neighborhoods.
“This cadre-based approach is expected to broaden the reach of the training while ensuring the program remains sustainable after the KKN program ends,” said Renata on Monday (Jul. 7).
Google Maps was selected because it is an accessible digital platform that many MSME owners have yet to utilize effectively. Through the program, the KKN-PPM team sought to demonstrate that digital transformation can begin with simple steps, such as ensuring that a business has a digital identity that is easy for customers to find, while supporting MSME digitalization.
“By involving PKK members as community cadres, we hope this knowledge can be passed on to more MSME owners,” she explained.
The socialization and training sessions began with a presentation on the importance of digital identity for businesses, followed by hands-on guidance on using Google Maps. Participants learned how to register business locations, complete business profiles, select business categories, upload photos, and update operational information.
“The training was delivered interactively through hands-on simulations, allowing participants to understand each step and equipping them to assist other MSME owners in optimizing Google Maps as a promotional tool,” she said.
One of the participants, Laksmini, a member of the Batukaras Village PKK, expressed her appreciation for the program. She said the training materials were easy to understand and provided valuable new insights into using Google Maps to promote businesses.
“This program has been very beneficial because we now know how to register business locations on Google Maps and complete business profiles so they can be found more easily by local residents and tourists. We hope to share this knowledge with other MSME owners so that more businesses in Batukaras Village can use Google Maps as a promotional tool,” she said.
To support the program’s sustainability, KKN-PPM UGM students also developed an interactive web-based guide on the Digitalisasi UMKM Batukaras website. The website provides step-by-step instructions for creating and managing business profiles on Google Maps, accompanied by illustrations and user-friendly explanations.
“We hope this digital learning resource can continue to be used by PKK cadres and MSME owners as an independent reference after the training program has concluded,” she said.
Renata hopes that more MSMEs in Batukaras Village will establish a digital presence, making their businesses easier for residents and tourists to discover. The direct mentoring, the involvement of PKK members as community cadres, and the interactive web-based guide are expected to strengthen the digital transformation of local MSMEs while supporting sustainable local economic development.
Reporter: Annisa Herdiana Putri
Author: Leony
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Jasmine Ferdian
Photo: UGM KKN-PPM Mapai Pangandaran Unit Documentation